Commitment

Commitment

Oh January… you with your “I shoulds”, “I coulds”, “This time I will”, “This time it will be different”.

This month I want you to start your year off on a successful note. I would like you to focus on commitment – commitment to ONE thing that you feel you need to work on or improve. I want this to be something that you know you can do 9 times out of 10. Not something that you’ll “try” and do.

Something that you WILL do.

That you CAN do.

You’re either going to do it. Or you won’t. You’re either in or you’re out. Or as my cat is demonstrating, you’re either on or you’re off. Half way just doesn’t cut it.

“Hummmm…….Should I get on the mat and stretch or not?”

We want to make this a lifelong habit.

That being said, commitment doesn’t mean overhauling everything. If you decide to completely change your way of eating, hit the gym 5 days a week and add an Essentrics class for good measure (when you haven’t been doing anything before), it likely won’t last. You risk being overwhelmed, losing your drive to succeed and giving up. It’s that “all or nothing” mentality that often suffocates us as we try to do too much all at once.

A Little More, A Little Better

Those of you who know me and who have worked with me know that I believe in the slow and steady approach. We work on improving one thing at a time. We get successful doing that one thing for a while (weeks or months, depending) THEN and only THEN do we add another change. And whatever we choose, we make it manageable, sustainable and we do it consistently. It doesn’t have to be a big change. Just a little more, a little better. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just show up. Small victories lead to big wins over time.

But you MUST commit. You must pledge to put every effort into your chosen habit and give 100% of your attention to it. Love yourself enough to take those small steps toward better health and wellness.

This can be as simple as adding one extra glass of water per day or something a bit more substantial like going to the gym 3 times per week. No matter what you commit to, it must have meaning for you and it must be realistic in regard to accomplishing it.

Get Comfortable with being Uncomfortable

It’s not easy to change. But if we keep doing the same old things over and over again, we will never see the change we’re striving for. You must get comfortable with the idea of getting uncomfortable. For example, if you feel that you need to lose some weight, then you know that you can’t go on eating pizza and fries every day and hope to drop 10 pounds. There has to be a shift in your choices and consistency in your actions.

4 Steps to Commitment:

Consistency:

Choose ONE habit to work on that you know you can do 9 times out of 10. Put that habit into practice every single day. Small but consistent choices lead to engrained behaviors.

Sustainability:

Choose a goal and habits along the way that are sustainable – choices that you can make for the long run. There’s a reason I don’t offer “12 week Challenges”. These aren’t sustainable. They are too restrictive as are many of the current diets and training fads out there. Make choices that you know you can incorporate into your daily living and maintain for life.

Accountability:

Strength in numbers. Having a friend, coach, family member who supports you will go a long way in helping you in your health and wellness journey.

Having someone to report to and who helps guide you in your habit choices will help you stay the course.

Wiping the Slate Clean:

The last thing we need is added stress in our lives. Change isn’t always easy. Life sometimes gets in the way and we slip in regard to our goals and habits. It’s OK. Wipe the slate clean and start again.

Fall in love with taking care of yourself, one day at a time. One habit at a time.